Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1887-09-02
WEEPING OMEN
Two Of Williams Five Wives
the Victims of a Biga-
mist.
Dramatic Scene in a Court --Guilty
Of Every Crime Against God
and Mankind

BALT1M IRE, Md, Sept. 1.-Two weep
ing young women stood one on either
side OF Clinton E. Williams in the police
court, and each claimed him as her hus-
band, Their surprise and anger was In
tensified when they learned that the
handsome big black mustached Williams
had three more wives in the far west.
amy here are Louisa Keyser; a handsome
and pretty little Nellie Hewitt, not yet
10. Williams welded Miss Keyser in
| September, 1884, ana was united to Miss
IHewett on the 25th of last July. Both
marriage ceremonies were performed by
c~lergymen. Each unfortunate wife told
how suave and kind this modern Don
| Joan had been, and he had completely
won their hearts.
Williams merely smiled when con
fronted by the two indignant wives. He
was committed to jail to await trial for
iBigamy. The story of his matrimonial
adventures reads like q romance. His
experiences in the marrying line would
fit him for a Mormon eldership. His ca
reer as related by himself appears to have
been that Of q scapegoat from the begin
ming. He is TO- only 90 years old. He
was born in Pennsylvania, but the big
state could not hold him long. When a
shaver of 10 years he ran away from
home and his father found him among
the miners at Cumberland, Md, he be-
ing on his way west to fight Indiana.
His father then bought q farm neal Mar
tinsburg, w. Va, and put the lad to
work. The boy, however, would not
work, and finally his father sent him to
the Virginia military institute, with in
%structions to the teachers that they were
to keep him under the strictest discipline.
This they did, and the result was that
young Williams let himself out of & third
story window by q rops made of bed
clothes one dark night and escaped.
He was then but 10 years old. He
came to Baltimore, and his father fol
lowed him here, and the family made
Baltimore their home. Clinton's career
continued so evil that he was finally sent
to the house of refuge for inc%orrigibility.
After stopping in that place for a few
months he managed to make his escape,
and enlisted in the United States, cavalry
at the recruiting Office of this city as a
musician, without being detected as an
escaped inmate of the house of refuge.
He went with his regiment shortly after.
tward to Arizona. He soon, however. be-
came tired Of his new life, and after six
months deserted. Before he had gotten
far on his return journey he was recap.
tured and sent back to his regiment.
For this offanse he was sentenced to six
years of hard labor in the military prison
on Alcatrez Island, in the Bay of San
Francisco. While in prison there he met
q young girl, and succeeded in making
her his wife No. 1. His father hearing
of Clinton's imprisonment. went out tc
San Francisco, and succeeded in freeing
bis son or the plea that he was under
age when he enlisted. Owing to some
formelities which he had to be gone
through with, the father could not wait
to bring his son OF with him, SO he
bought him q ticket to Baltimore and
left him.
After Clinton got FREQ he went to Chi
cago, leaving his wife in San Francisco.
Needing money, he sold this remainder o:
his ticket for q few dollars. In that city
he fell in with a friend, and the two went
to Michigan City. There they separated,
Clinton going to Detroit and from there
to Fort Wayne, where he enlisted in
company A, 1st infantry, as a musician.
There he got into trouble with an officer.
and struck the latter over the head, for
which he received six months in the
house OF correction and q d~ishonorable
discharge.
After serving out his term he cam to
Baltimore. After being here some two
or three months he was married to Louisa
II. Keyser, by Rev. +. w. Boese, a Meth
odist minister, September 4, 1884. After
remaining five weeks with her he en-
listed at Fort McHenry in November.
ond in Trro 1QlS - reA..l -
regiment for Jackson's barracks. New
Orleans. In that city he married a
woman named Lena Morse, who was
wife9No. 3. His next adventure was a
duel with a private soldier named John
Graves, n both were d~ishonorably dis.
charged. Williams was wounded IN the
arm in the fight. From there he came to
baltimore, and after a short time went
to Philadelphia and started a saloon, and
was married to a fourth wife. Williams
thsn tried gambling, but losing
all his money deserted his wife
In Philadelphia and came on
to Baltimore. Again he enlisted in the
cavalry service, but under the assumed
name of Clinton II. Lee. His regiment
was ordered to st. Louis, and from there
to Fort Leayenworth. At the latter
place he got into g fight with a guard,
and, using his knife, cut him SO badly
that he disd from his injuries. He was
court martialed for this crime and sen.
enced to six years in a military prison.
Through the efforts of a lawyer named
VIM. 6. Hood inc some doctors, he was
freed, on the plea of insanity. He then
came back to Baltimore, and, on tho 25th
Of July last, made Nellie Hewitt his wife
No. 8. He married her under the as.
sumed name of Charles B. Edwards.
Williams, If ever insane, shows no signs
pt 10 now, and both his Baltimore wives
declare him perfectly rationagg. Each
time that he enlisted or took a new ,wtfs.
II was under a different name, and his
aliases are legion.